^IGHT^a^SOCIETIES 



BEinqHatter That Deserves 



- To BE WIDELY KNOWN, 



A Successful Chrysanthemum 

 Show.— The Florists' Club of 

 Buffalo deserves great credit for 

 its efforts in making a fine 

 annual exhibit. The last show 

 far exceeded all previous efforts, 

 and was well attended. It was 

 an exhibit purely by retailflorists> 

 and the specimens are such only as are grown for the cut- 

 flower trade. From this point of view, it was really a 

 wonder to see such an extensive and really fine exhibit. 

 The arrangement of 'mums, and all the other plants — 

 begonias, ferns, carnations, geraniums, coleus, bou- 

 vardias, etc., being remarkably fine, giving easy access 

 to every part of exhibit and showing everyone to best 

 advantage. Palms and other tall plants interspersed 

 with lilies and other flowers were freely used along the 

 sides. Pitcher & Manda had sent specimens of some of 

 their new seedlings, among them worthy of especial notice 

 Hicks Arnold, Ada McVicker, Mrs. W. S. Kimball, etc. 

 William Scott's orchids, among them Stanhopia oculata 

 and Lycaste Skinnerii, although few in number, were as 

 fine as anything that could be seen in any special orchid 

 exhibit. Prof. John F. Cowells exhibited several seed- 

 ling chrysanthemums not yet introduced, among them a 

 remarkably fine one, namely "Erie. " His manufactured 

 " blue chrysanthemum " under a glass globe attracted 

 much attention. Floral crosses, pillows and other pieces 

 on the stage formed a fine background to the main show. 

 In this specialty Buffalo florists are leaders. In first 

 premiums William Scott made almost a clean sweep, 

 some of them however, going to Mr. Rebstock, D. B. 

 Long and others. 



American Pomological Society. ( Continued frum page 

 77^-) ]■ Van Lindley, in speaking on "Small Fruits in 

 East and Middle North Carolina," says he has seen a 

 great increase in the value of land from cotton-growing 

 to strawberry culture, and claims that small-fruit grow- 

 ing is an inviting field. Cotton-seed is available, and 

 largely used for manure. Pine straw is used as a mulch 

 to keep the fruit clean. 



Pear-Blight Theories.— G. B. F. Leighton's paper 

 attacks the teachings of Prof. Arthur and other scientists, 

 and claims that while the professors are wrangling over 

 theories, he presents the fact that pear- blight invariable 

 sets in on the ninth day after a sudden drop of 30 degrees 

 in temperature in spring. 



Lecture on Pruning. — Prof. Taft of the Michigan 

 State College Experiment Station explains the purposes 

 and methods^of pruning fruit-trees. No operation, he 

 says, requires greater foresight than pruning. No branch 

 should be removed for whose removal we cannot give a 

 good reason. The chief reasons that justify pruning, 

 are (i) the removal of dead or dying branches; (2) thin- 

 ning; (3) assisting the growth of one part by the removal 



of another. The first is a simple matter, and requires 

 neither particular skill nor knowledge. Pruning for 

 thinning, however, cannot be done without a knowledge 

 of plant life; while good judgment should guide us in 

 cutting out one part for the sake of assisting another. A 

 few well-developed branches are of more value than a 

 number of times that many which are crowded together 

 without light and air. The removal of large healthy 

 limbs should be avoided as far as possible. The injury 

 is in proportion to the amount of loss of leaf surface, 

 and the size of the wound. The question whether to 

 remove a limb or not, can be answered affimatively only 

 when the benefits expected from pruning are larger than 

 the necessary injury. Knife and thumb are better 

 pruning-tools than saw and ax. Every blow of the ax 

 or push of the saw in the removal of large limbs is a 

 threat at the tree's life and vitality. By lessening the 

 leaf's surface we lessen the digestive apparatus, and con- 

 sequently the absorption of food. 



In transplanting nursery-grown trees in orchard, we 

 should cut back the tops to make them correspond with 

 the size of the roots. Such trees often have very little 

 root. The best time for pruning trees in orchard is soon 

 after the leaves have fallen. Pruning in spring involves 

 a greater check to the tree, and pruning after growth has 

 commenced is still more injurious. There is no par- 

 ticular objection to pruning in winter, when the trees 

 are frozen, except the discomfort of thepruner. Prun- 

 ing may be done after the formation of dormant buds 

 in summer, as any damage at that time is quickly repaired. 

 When the wounds are large, the injury is lessened by 

 coating them with clay, paint or grafting-wax. Judicious 

 pruning gives us the means of thickening growth, or 

 elongating it, and making it more open and spreading. 

 Root-pruning can be resorted to for the purpose of check- 

 ing rank growth in a tree of bearing age, thus hastening 

 its fruitfulness, but on the whole. Prof. Taft did not 

 deem it advisable to resort to such violent means. The 

 cause of many failures in apple-growing may be found 

 in the bare stems six or eight feet high to the lowest 

 branches. Low-headed trees are usually preferable. 

 In a general way, pruning should be done frequently with 

 knife and thumb. 



Prof. Brunk's radical method of cutting back a young 

 tree to a short whip and its roots to mere short stubs 

 before planting it out in orchard, has already been 

 mentioned and illustrated in our November number. Mr. 

 T. T. Lyon, speaking about the time of pruning, stated 

 his preference for early spring when the frost just begins 

 to draw out of the ground. This has given him best 

 results. 



Fine New Fruits. — Among those favorably mentioned 

 in the report of the fruit-committee are the Colerain 

 grape, of medium size and good quality ; the Brilliant 

 grape, a large, long, compact bunch, medium-sized berry 

 of very good quality, coming soon after Concord ; the 

 Lincoln pear, medium-sized, pyriform-obtuse, of good 

 quality, a free grower and hardy ; Harrison's black rasp- 

 berry from Chase & Co., very promising for market. 



That the Green Mountain (or Winchell) is a valuable 

 early grape was generally admitted; but President Berck- 



